Living in the Shadows of a Thief
by Sweet Temptations
Summary: By day she is merely Misty Waterflower, a Slateport University student. But by night, she is the flirtatious Thief Saint, the city's resident heroinevillain. When her old friend Ash Ketchum visits, she realized that a job is a job and love is love.
1. Chapter 1

Living in the shadows of a thief

A/N: Well, this story is a bit different than most fanfics. I hope you enjoy it. By the way, I got my ideas from Saint Tail, which I do not own, quite like how I don't own Pokemon.

-------------

Chapter I: A Stolen Canvas, a Stolen Heart

-------------

It was a dark life. Living a lie, keeping it going. But she kept her word: No one could ever know about her secret. She had many secrets that no one could know, but she would have given them up in a second to protect this one.

The truth was that by day, Misty Waterflower, a beautiful red haired, blue eyed girl of 18, was a University student at the Slateport City College in Hoenn. But by night, she was doing more than late night, last minute studying for an exam she "forgot" to study for until the night before. Misty worked in the shadows of the city, saving the less fortunate from the greedy. Her name was always on the front page of the Slateport Times. However, the headlines didn't read: "Another Valuable Stolen by Misty Waterflower". They read something much more secretive and to some, distracting.

That overly hot day, Friday June 13th, Misty was reading the Times headline, "Diamond owned by Charlotte Family Stolen by Infamous Thief, Known to Some as The Thief Saint."

"Well, that's a lie. That diamond was the only valuable thing the Lawrences' have ever owned. The Charlottes' never had legal claims on that jewel. But I hope they surrender to the name of the Thief Saint." She said to herself.

------------

Misty wasn't the only one who knew about her alter ego. Her long time friend Lauren Rockette, who was also a student at SCC, gave Misty the information to do her "projects". Lauren, who had long raven black hair and indigo eyes was well connected to the lower class side of the city. She worked at the Community Temple, where people with troubles would go to confess these troubles. Lauren was the priestess there, and she frequently let slip these problems, so Misty could help out.

However, this blazing day, she and her friend just wanted to go to the beach. Slateport had a lovely shore, and Misty wanted to spend her whole life there, if she could. But she wasn't the only one at the beach that day. A guy about their age, and younger boy, maybe 15, and a girl, about 17 all sat out on the beach, exhausted from their training schedule.

The older boy's name was Ash Ketchum, and he came here to take a break from battling. The younger boy's name was Max, who was the sister to the girl, May. Ash didn't know that this big, beautiful seaside city was home to many little terrors as well. One was the name of his good friend, named Misty. As she met up with Lauren at the snack bar, they started walking towards the spot at Ash and co. was situated.

She was happily talking about what Mrs. Sean brought up in the Performing Arts class. "Sean's looking for some people to be in a talent show held in the festival this Sunday." Lauren frowned.

"It's at seven o'clock, right?" Misty nodded.

"Misty, you know we both have other, obligations. We can't just leave people hanging while we party all night." Lauren said.

"But that's just it. There will be many temptations for several people to steal. If we see it happen, I can take on-"

"SHH! Alright, if we must." Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, Misty felt herself fall flat on her face. She tripped on a backpack, that looked strangely familiar.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I guess I just wasn't paying attention…" Misty apologized, while blushing of embarrassment.

"No, its all right. I guess Ash shouldn't have left it in the open like that." The brown haired girl May said.

'Ash?' Misty thought.

"I'm May, and this is Max, my younger brother. That's Ash, over there, with his Pikachu." May told her sweetly as Ash looked over.

"Hi, I'm Misty." The redhead said happily.

"Misty?" Ash restated.

"Yes, she just said her name was Misty, Ash…" May said slowly.

"No, I know… Are you… You look like my old friend… Whose name was Misty." He said.

"Ash? Ash Ketchum?" Misty said, while smiling.

"Heya! How's life been?" Ash asked.

"Its ok, I've been busy with, stuff." She said. "This is my friend Lauren."

The black haired girl smiled at Ash.

"Well, we have to go, I have to get back to class." Misty said, after a bit of time of chatting.

"See ya, Mist." Ash said in her old nickname, which made Misty blush a bit.

Misty looked over at Lauren, who was blushing furiously.

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Its just that Ash was very attractive."

Misty smiled. "Yea, he is."

-----------

That Sunday, Misty, and Lauren were walking around at the festival, having a great time. Misty had on a bohemian looking blue shirt, and jeans. She pulled her long hair into a ponytail. Lauren had a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and jeans on. They caught a glimpse of Ash and co.

"Hey!" Misty yelled over to them. They turned and waved. As the two groups caught up, they looked at the stage in front of them. It was an art show. There were jewels, painting, and all types of valuable things under drapes, ready to be revealed.

Misty kept her eyes on the front one. It was a large canvas, under a silky blue covering. 'Just the perfect setting for a robbery.' She said, her eyes alert and acute.

The crowd took Misty out of her gaze, when the first artwork was being revealed. It was beautiful, a small canvas with gems everywhere; which was followed by a painting of a shoe. Five pieces of work later, the main one was being revealed. Misty looked up to hear gasps… 'There' nothing there… It must have been… But how?' Misty felt Lauren move next to her.

"I think you were right…" She whispered.

"I have to go use the bathroom." Misty said, fidgeting with a small item in her purse. Ash stared at her.

She locked herself in the restroom, and pulled a small black mask out of her purse. She pressed it against her face, and felt herself enveloped in a black outfit. Her shirt was covered in diamonds, and sleeveless. She had black gloves on, that went up to her upper arm. Her short, flowing skirt, which was also black, had diamond trimming. She had knee-high black boots on, that had a "T" on the heels. Her long red hair was in a long side ponytail. She immediately ran out of the lavatory, and hid in the shadows of the crime.

Ash and friends were looking for Misty, as well as the crime. He had Pikachu out, sparking at the cheeks. Lauren had her Kadabra out, who was glowing in a haze of purple. May let her Blaziken out, and Max followed them. From the corner of Ash's eye, he saw a swiftly moving person in the shadows. He turned around, to see absolutely nothing.

Misty ran in the shadows following the track of her prey. She had seen them, with the painting, running away. But she could keep up with them. She was athletic, and very flexible. She stopped. They had gotten into a limousine. She took a black pen from her purse, and threw it, in perfect aim, at one of the tires. When the people inside the car got out to see why they had stopped, Misty crept into the car, and stole the painting. It had a girl sitting next to a cherry blossom tree. A redhaired girl. Misty blushed. It was signed by a boy named Arthur, who went to her school.

She ran away to hear gasps of annoyance, with a grin on her face. However, her problems weren't over yet. She knew that the mayor was after her. And now, she had someone else on her tracks. Ash has seen her steal the painting from the car. He was infuriated. (Of course he didn't know who she was). He ran after her. She knew she was being followed. The pursuit led them to the carnival area. Misty jumped into an empty ferris wheel car, and Ash got on the one below her. He started to climb up to hers, but she was way ahead of him. She leapt up onto the top of it, and Ash looked up. She smiled at him, with a wink.

"Don't interfere with the works of justice, Ketchum." She said, as his hand grabbed onto the top of her car. She stepped on it, and he flinched.

"Justice… yea, being a thief is definitely the work of justice."

"I'm not just a thief. I'm the Thief Saint." She said, still stepping on his hand. With the other one, he grabbed onto her leg. She felt him pull her down.

"Get off me!" She yelled. Her left leg, which was free, kicked him in the face, causing his grip to slip. She grabbed onto the bar of the wheel, and shook him off her. He fell down into the car below hers, as she sent a small little note attached to a black rose down to him. He caught it and felt blood drip from the pricks of the stem. He would never forget her. Anger took the best of him.

She leapt off the ride, and gave the artwork to Lauren, who was standing by the whole time. Lauren would complete the job.

"Take this to Arthur Jones, please… The rightful owner." Misty whispered. She swiftly fell into the shadows as she took off her mask, and went back to being Misty.

She caught up with Ash, May and Max, who were standing next to the mayor and a few police officers.

"I want you to be in charge of helping to catch this Thief Saint, and putting her where she belongs… in jail." Misty bit her lip as Ash accepted. She knew that her friend would become her enemy at night.

She stared at Ash. Her heart raced as she remembered the events that happened earlier. He had gotten a tight grip on her, and not just on her leg.

--------------

Well, that's the end of chapter oneJ Get ready for chapter two!

-Caitie


	2. Chapter 2

Living in the shadows of a thief

A/N: Well, this story is a bit different than most fanfics. I hope you enjoy it. By the way, I got my ideas from Saint Tail, which I do not own, quite like how I don't own Pokemon.

-------------

Chapter II: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friends

-------------

It was a week since Misty's last "job", and Ash was already letting his "job" get to his head. Now, he interrogated everyone. But still, Misty realized, Ash hadn't changed. He was still a dunce. May was obviously much quicker than him, and by the time Misty had gotten her most recent job, May had figured it out.

Lauren gave Misty a note about how a poor family's daughter got a diamond ring from her boyfriend who was to marry her at the strike of midnight at the flower garden the Tuesday before. However, when they were about to kiss, he pushed her down, and took the ring. Then, he gave the ring to a much richer woman. Misty angrily accepted the job. 'How dare he? I can see that a boy's heart is fickle.' She thought, as she looked at Ash, who was talking with two of her classmates. Two of her female classmates.

-------------

"What is it, Ash?"

"Who sent it to ya, Ashy?"

Those were some of the questions asked by many people following Ash around. Ash had gotten a mysterious letter earlier that morning. It had hit him on the head as a paper airplane. Ash opened it. Suddenly, the sweet scent of lilies filled the atmosphere, as he realized the black and pink laced letter was perfumed. (It reminded him of his mom's lingerie… Not that he dug in her closet to see what she had in there…) It read:

_ Ketchum:_

_ I'm so glad I "kaught" you at the festival the other day. Excuse my bad pun. But, I need to give you a proper welcome to Slateport. Come meet me tonight at the Leonardo Family's mansion by around 8 or 9 PM… I believe there is a beautiful diamond ring in there that would look nice on my black gloves… don't you? Anyway, I'll see you tonight._

_ P.S: This letter is gonna leave you with a "shocking" surprise… Ugh, another bad pun._

_ Much Love,_

_ Thief Saint_

Ash reread the PS statement… "Wha?" Suddenly, he felt a large shock go through his veins as the letter sent a Pikachu-like thundershock, and crumbled to pieces. "Oww…" He moaned.

"What happened, Ash?" Lauren said, running over to him, with May trailing behind.

"I got a letter from the Thief Saint… She wants me to meet her at the Leonardos' house. Oh, I'll meet her. And I'll bring along my entourage of policemen." Ash said, angrily, however he was blushing furiously.

------------

It was 7:30… Misty needed to get over to her next victim's house… She hoped Ash would go… Infact she knew he would go… He always let curiosity get the best of him. Lauren was sitting in a chair as she looked as if she was deep in thought. Misty noticed this.

"What's the matter, Lauren?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing…It's just, that I feel, odd." Lauren said, blushing a little.

"Do you feel sick?" Misty said, nervously, as she fiddled with a necklace in her hand. It had a little perfume bottle on it.

"No… I feel like… nevermind… We need to leave now." Lauren said, ending the subject.

Misty nodded, unsure.

When they had gotten to the park next to Leonardos' house, Misty pulled out her little black mask from her purse. She put it against her face and her alter ego took over.

Misty felt she really was a different person when she had her black outfit on. She felt outspoken, like a criminal, and fearless… But she knew that she did have some fears… She was never in love, she never gave in to seduction… She never felt lost, and she never wanted to. She wanted to be independent, which would mean she couldn't love Ash. She was afraid of him, but at the same time, she wanted him to be afraid of her. She was determined to succeed in this job of hers, and she would do it no matter what.

When she finally said goodbye to Lauren, she quietly saw herself blend with the shadows of the beautiful houses that laid near her target's mansion. She heard someone move behind her, and turned around. A man in a black suit lunged at her, and she took her perfume bottle out. He was sprayed in the face, and fell over, knocked out.

She smiled in triumph, and went on with her life.

-------------

Meanwhile, Ash had told the residents of the house about what the Thief Saint was planning to do. He wanted to catch her, to trap her, to make her eat her bad puns. He was as determined as she was to succeed. At 8:30, he found himself on his own, in the place where the marriage was supposed to have taken place, on the Tuesday before.

"Hello Ketchum. Nice to see you, again." A cheery voice said behind him. He spun around to see absolutely nothing but the dark night scene. He knew that voice… He just couldn't place it.

"It's rude not to respond, especially to a lady." The voice said.

Ash looked over to where the sound came from. The Thief Saint was standing in the garden. She picked a rose. Ash got ready to pounce.

"Love is painful, sometimes… Take this rose." She said, elegantly tossing a beautiful red rose in his direction. He grabbed it, and felt a prickly pain in his hand. He dropped the rose, and saw blood fall from a cut from the prickles on the rose stem.

"See? Love hurts… Infact, the only thing a woman can depend on is her diamond ring. Speaking of which… I must be off." She said, turning her heal into the direction of the house.

"You're not going anywhere." He said, angrily stepping on the rose, smashing it to pieces.

"Oh really. That's amusing, seeing that I have already gone somewhere." She said as she pointed to the 3 or 4 feet of space she walked away from him on.

Ash lunged at her, and she jumped out of the way, landing gracefully on her feet. He caught her off guard, and pounced again, this time grabbing her around the waist and pulling her down with him. Ash realized that when they landed, they were in a very awkward position. Her leg was wrapped around his, and his arm was around her waist. He was laying on top of her. He immediately blushed, and got off of the Thief Saint. He helped her up and pulled his hand towards her face to get her mask off.

'NO!' Misty thought, pushing his hand away from her face. She was also blushing madly. That was a very pleasurable moment, having Ash hold her, but she realized he wanted to put her to jail, not love her.

"Good try. The object of this little game is to catch me, not to nearly squish me to death." She said in her more agitated voice, not in her normal Thief Saintish, confident and flirtatious voice.

"Well, you shouldn't be here in the first place!" Ash said, angrily raising his voice along with her's.

But she was gone faster than he could finish his sentence. She was running, as fast as her heart could take, and her boots were causing pain to her feet. But she had to get this job done… She felt connected to the ex-fiancé.

When she reached the house, she crept inside through an open window. She saw two guards coming through, and she hid behind a huge sculpture. When they passed, she crept on.

Ash hadn't forgotten what she said earlier about the rose… He couldn't help but feel a small desire to find her again… He hated her, but he still wanted to see her. She was very pretty in his eyes. As he ran along the house, he saw something on the top of the roof. Next to the moon, a figure held up a shiny diamond. It was the Thief Saint. Her long, bright orange hair, and her black skirt were flowing in the breeze. The diamonds on her outfit shimmered in the moonlight.

"Ketchum! You couldn't succeed this time! I can't wait to meet you again!" She said cheerfully as she held the ring in her right hand, held high. He looked at her, amazed. It only took her five minutes to get passed those guards… He needed another plan. Next time, he would be ready.

------------

Misty wasn't sure how she knew how to get the ring. She just followed her instincts. As she ran back, she took off her mask, and headed over to where Lauren was supposed to meet her. No one was there… Misty looked for her. 'Where is she…?' She thought. She realized that she was standing in the middle of the town, with her regular clothes on, and holding the stolen diamond ring in her hand. She put it in her purse and ran into the night.


End file.
